Split Personality
by FedoraGirl90
Summary: A girl from Ichigo's past? Who is she and what does she want with him? A girl from Ichigo's past shows up out of the blue one day, starting a string of events that he has no control over. Love and Betrayal in the highest degree. Read, Review, and Enjoy
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

Note: I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I have writing it. This story is a work in progress with many chapters. Please review and tell me what you think!! Thank you

_A regular day in the life of Ichigo Kurosaki_. He thought to himself as he stares out the window of his classroom. Rukia left for Soul Society yesterday and Ichigo was feeling a bit cheated. _She doesn't have to leave as often anymore, since we cleared her name. So what's the deal? One argument and its off home she goes. _His negative aura in that instant kept Keigo at bay.

"Good Morning Ichigo!!" Orihime called over, interrupting his thoughts. Ever since they had infiltrated the Soul Society, it felt like Chad, Uryuu, Orihime and he had grown closer. So much so that whenever he sensed a hollow they would follow him to help. A headache was slowly making itself known as he waved back.

"Good morning, Orihime. How are you?" He asked. The ache was increasing. _Man, ever since that dream, I haven't been able to get rid of this damn headache._

The previous night, Ichigo dreamed about a long lost friend he had in his childhood. _What was her name again? Saya, that's right. _A girl with short brown hair was waving at him in her purple ruffle dress, calling his name with a big smile. "Come and play with me, Ichi!" she'd say. _That was the last day I saw her. She moved away right after that._

"Ichigo… are you in there?" Orihime came into focus waving her hand in front of his eyes. She was smiling, but he could see in her bright blue eyes a trace of concern. _He must be thinking about his mother. Tomorrow is the day it happened._

"Yeah… sorry…thinking about something," Ichigo passed it off. _God when will this ache stop?_

The orange haired girl looked like she was about to say something, but was cut off by the incoming teacher.

"Seats please, students," as soon as everyone was settled, she continued, "now then. We have a new student today. Please come in," she indicated toward the open door. Ichigo wasn't really paying attention, due to the sudden spike in pain, but he was immediately drawn to the newcomer. A girl wearing the usual school uniform walked through the doorway. Her hair was short and brown, much like.... He found he couldn't breathe and sweat broke out along his brow; his headache forgotten. "Class, meet Saya Himura."

"Good Morning. Nice to meet you all," Saya looked happily around the room. Her gaze remained especially long with Ichigo, which was not unnoticed by his friends.

"Take the seat behind Ichigo Kurosaki. Raise your hand so she knows where to sit, Ichigo," the teacher instructed.

As Saya made her way to her seat, she smiled just the same way as she did in his dream. Sitting down she leaned forward, "Hey Ichi, long time no see."

The class period seemed to last forever. _What the hell is wrong with me? She obviously just moved back, nothing unusual about that….but then why do I have a bad feeling? _He found it nearly impossible to restrain himself from looking over his shoulder every few minutes to see if she was really there. In response she would wave her index finger and smile.

The bell rang for lunch. Everyone jumped for the door, except Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu who decided to stay in the back of the room. The sudden alarm, kicked Ichigo out of his stupor and he spun around to face Saya who was standing in front of the aisle. _Calm down. Act casually! There has to be an explanation._ He walked up to her.

"Wow, you've gotten tall! If I'd have known you'd be such a giant, I would have worn high heels," Saya's deep blue eyes sparkled.

"If I ever thought, you'd be so short, I wouldn't have consumed so much milk," he ran his left hand through his hair.

"You never change, Ichigo; running your fingers through your hair like you're some hotshot. God, how long has it been?" she asked, sitting on the teacher's desk. Ichigo likewise sat on the desk opposite hers.

Sensing neutrality on Ichigo's part, the gang joined the two teens. Orihime walked straight up to Saya, "Hi, I'm Orihime Inoue. This is Chad and Uryuu," she pointed in turn, each giving a salutation. Saya greeted them all with a smile. "How do you know Ichigo?" Orihime stole a glance at Ichigo. He seemed far away again, as if he was trying to place something, but couldn't.

"Oh we go way back!" and she sat back down on the desktop. "We would play together all the time at the park when we were kids. What was that game called, Ichigo?" she looked at him momentarily, but before he could respond, "That's right, cops and robbers. It wasn't much of a game, since it was only the two of us. Our parents used to play too, but then…" and again she looked at Ichigo. …_Mom died. _His eyes narrowed at the memory. "Ichigo and I used to spend all our time together after that. I guess you could say we were childhood sweethearts. Anyway, my dad wanted to move to America when I was 15, and so I had to leave. _…yeah, and without a word._

"How was America? Where did you live?" Orihime was getting excited, though inwardly she was becoming suspicious.

Ichigo suddenly got up and moved for the door. "Sorry guys, but would you excuse Saya and I?" Orihime was set back and Chad and Uryuu seemed a bit irked. Saya stood up to follow Ichigo to the roof.

He walked to the far edge of the roof and leaned against the gated fence. Saya was a few feet behind him, still wearing that smile. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Saya's grin and happy go lucky aura left her. "I didn't know we were leaving the next day. I thought I'd have had time to talk to you, to gently give you the news." She walked forward, also leaning against the fence. She looked over at him. His eyes were narrowed, but sad and unbelieving. _He could always tell when I was lying. _Saya sighed,"No, that's not it. The truth is…"

Their moment was interrupted by a flutter of Hollow activity a few miles south from the school. Ichigo's immediate reaction was to run to the area and somewhere along the way, ditch his body and become a soul reaper. However, he heard and felt a thunk to his head and his body fell to the floor. He looked to the girl beside him, who also hit herself with the same object. Saya Himura, his dearest friend from childhood, was a soul reaper.

"Well? Don't just stand there gaping at me! Let's go get the hollow!" She then proceeded to jump off the edge of the roof. Shocked, Ichigo followed.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. Thank you for reading!!!

As they were running, Saya continued their conversation, "The truth is Ichigo, that I was killed that day."

His eyes opened wide. _That must have been the reason for the uneasiness I was feeling. _"What did it?" he asked, almost dreading the answer.

"I never saw it coming. I didn't even see who or what did it. I was walking home after that day at the park. I went down an ally and then everything vanished," Saya replied matter of factly.

"So now you're a soul reaper. I'm surprised though, my friends and I went to Soul Society and I never saw you."

"I was still in training, dummy!" Saya countered. "Nice Zanpakutou. What's its name?

Stealing a glance over to Saya's Zanpakutou he answered, "Zangetsu. Your's?"

"You'll find out," her conniving smile showing brilliant white teeth.

They arrived at the park moments later. A snake-like hollow was chasing after a spirit boy, and was swiftly gaining on him. Ichigo drew his blade ready for a quick cleanup, when Saya dashed in front of him brandishing her own.

"Meet Ryoko!" and she sliced the hollow in half without leaving the ground.

Ichigo went to konso the spirit with Saya in toe. "Hey there kid. We are going to send you to the soul society, how's that sound?" Ichigo knelt in front of the child, holding his zanpakutou to reveal the hilt.

"Will my mother be there?" It asked

Saya answered, "She's waiting for you at the gate."

Ichigo then stamped his hilt on the child's forehead sending the boy in peace.

Saya took a look at their surroundings, "Hey Ichigo, this is the same park isn't it? The one we always used to play at." Saya sat down next to her orange haired companion.

"Yeah… it is," he simply replied.

"Oh come on," she nudged him in the shoulder, "why are you so damn quiet? The boy I knew was always telling me about their hopes and dreams for the future. Hey I know what will cheer you up, it works every time," she stood up suddenly. "Cops and robbers!!"

"We have to get back to school. We are late to class already," Ichigo argued.

"Oooh, just one game," at his silence she added, hands folded and eyes watering as she leaned close to his face, "For old time's sake?" She pouted. Ichigo could never resist her saddened eyes. It worked every time in getting him to do whatever she wanted.

Ichigo stood up, eyes shadowed beneath his orange spiky hair, "Better start running," and he lifted his head to show a big malicious grin. He reached out his hand toward her, and she disappeared in front of his eyes. "Oh you wanna play like that? Ok, I'll still catch you though" and he flash stepped in her direction.

Whenever he would come close, she would disappear instantly. _Wow, she's fast. I'd better speed up!_ Ichigo eventually caught her, and when he did, he wrapped his arms around her. The game continued back and forth, her catching him, him catching her. Her laughter rang throughout the park, lightening his heart. In the wiles of the game he completely lost himself and the sense of time, as the sun was near the horizon. They both fell to the ground in laughter, rolling down a slight hill. She landed on top of him with a genuine smile on her lips.

"Pinned ya, again," she stated putting her hands on his chest.

"Huh?" He smiled.

"Lion King? Don't tell me you didn't watch it growing up?" she snickered, getting an odd look in her eye. She then leaned down so they were eye to eye. Ichigo's face was heating up. Their lips met in that instant. Everything around them disappeared. Ichigo then shifted positions so he was on top of her, lips still connected. Heat spread throughout his body and every doubt, fear, and simple thought left him with her in his embrace.


	3. Chapter 3

****Thanks for all the reviews!! Sorry I haven't posted for awhile; life is crazy after all. To answer XxKuragari-no-kagexX, this story is based on the arrancar arc. Anyways I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. Thanks for all of your support!****

Disclaimer: Bleach not mine, but I sure wish it was. ^_^

"Wow, aren't the stars beautiful tonight?" Saya asked as she pulled Ichigo along by his hand. He was still in a daze over the amazing time they shared; it was like she never left.

"Yeah, you should see them in the early morning, when all of the city lights are out," Ichigo said as they walked back to his place. _Where is she staying? Does she know anybody? _He voiced his thoughts.

"No, when I'm on duty, I normally sleep in a tree or whatever," she stated still looking up at the stars.

"Why don't you stay at my place? You could sleep in my closet. Rukia usually sleeps there, but she's back in the soul society." Ichigo invited.

"I won't be a bother? Are you sure Rukia wouldn't mind?" she asked turning her attention to Ichigo. He looked down at her deep blue eyes.

"It's my room. You wouldn't be a bother at all, Saya," he smiled. Saya then got on the balls of her feet and kissed him. Ichigo couldn't resist wrapping his arms around her and kissing back. He broke the kiss smiling and said, "Come on, I'm nearing curfew."

The two continued walking oblivious to the silent observers located behind a tree not feet away. Orihime and Uryuu exchanged glances, "who is this girl? She weaseled her way into Ichigo's arms a bit too quickly don't you think?" Orihime stated suspiciously, cheeks getting red. "I mean, Ichigo was acting differently all day today. First he's mad at her and now he's kissing her?!"

"Orihime, she is an old friend of his. She did say they were together before she left. There is nothing out of the ordinary going on. Ichigo can handle himself," Uryuu assured her. "It is none of our business if he starts dating. I have suspicions that there is more to this girl than meets the eye," he saw a spark of triumph in Orihime and quickly stated," however, her intentions seem to be good and she has done nothing to prove otherwise."

"But they skipped school!!" Orihime started.

"To catch up obviously! One day isn't a crime. I'm going home, see you tomorrow," Uryuu turned to walk home and a defeated orange haired girl followed. _I can't ditch this feeling, I don't trust her. Tomorrow's the day, what if Ichigo's judgment is compromised? If she hurts Ichigo…._

Ichigo entered his front door alone, having told Saya to enter his room through the window, ready and waiting for his father, Isshin, to attack him.

"HIYAH!!!" Ichigo swiftly moved to the side as his father kicked down the front door. "Great reflexes son! Your mother is so proud of you!!"

"Yeah, yeah," Ichigo was about to say something crude, when Yuzu popped her head out from the kitchen.

"Welcome home Ichigo!! Dinner will be ready in 10 minutes," and she disappeared into the kitchen again. He could hear Karin cursing their father's stupidity from the living room. Isshin got up and tears rolling down his face went to Masaki's wallpaper asking her about her thoughts on their children's behavior.

"I'll be in my room," Ichigo stated to no one in particular, smiling as he made his way to his room. _I wonder how everyone would react if I brought Saya down for dinner? What would mom think? _ The sudden thought, brought Ichigo back to reality, reminding him that the next day…. He entered his room, still lost in thought.

Saya was standing next to his bed looking around the room. When he closed the door behind him, she stated, "You have a nice place, Ichigo. You've barely changed it, even after all these years. I heard Isshin downstairs, he hasn't grown up at all," when he didn't comment back she turned to look at him, smiling. Her lips curved downward at his expression, "Tomorrow's the day, isn't it? I can tell by the look in your eyes. I'm sorry Ichigo," she walked the distance between him and hugged his middle. Ichigo instinctively hugged back, but still didn't say anything. _How could I have forgotten? I should never be able to forget, I don't deserve to. _

He quietly showed her the closet and got it set up when Yuzu called for dinner. "I'll bring something up in a bit," and he left her alone in his room. _She'll be waiting for a while; dad will be announcing the plans tonight for tomorrow._

Images of his mother splayed on the ground on top of him, flashed through his troubled mind as Ichigo tossed and turned in his sleep."No, Mom…. Don't go where…I can't…follow," he mumbled. _Rain poured around them, blocking out all other noise, as they walked home from Ichigo's karate practice. The orange haired boy looked to the raging water in the dam. A short haired girl with a purple dress was standing at the edge of water, too close for comfort. She seemed familiar to Ichigo. Thinking she was going to fall in, he wrenched his hand from the security of his mother's and went to pull the girl back. Ichigo was close enough to grab her hand, but it vanished from sight; everything vanished. When he came to, wet, blond hair covered his vision. An unbearable weight pushed down on his body, making breathing difficult. He struggled out from under, gasping for breath. "Mom?" he looked closer. _

_Blood… blood everywhere. On her chest, on his clothes, on his hands…, _"I'm sorry….all my fault…"

Saya woke from her place in the closest and opened the door. _Ichigo…_ She got of bed and went to comfort him. Saya ran her hands through his hair and kissed his cheek, noting his trembling. His troubled features relaxed and shaking stopped, "It's alright Ichigo. I'm here right beside you," she got into his bed and wrapped her arms around him.

_The scene vanished and all was black. _His mind was put to rest for the night and he wrapped his arms around the new item in his bed.

The next morning, Ichigo woke to find brunette hair in his face and arms locked around his middle. He smiled, though slightly shocked. It felt natural for her to be beside him right then, like it was supposed to be this way. "Saya, it's time to wake up," Ichigo gently un-wrapped the human doll's arms. She opened her eyes, adjusting her position so she could look at him. She smiled too. He kissed her as the sun crept through his window.

"Ichigo, breakfast is ready!!" Yuzu called, interrupting their moment. Ichigo laid back down, instantly reminded of what happened today a few years ago. The sun seemed much less vibrant, suddenly. Saya silently laid down wrapping her arms around him again.

"I want…to be with you today, Ichigo. Can I? I'll be by your side in soul reaper form, your family won't see me," she clenched her hand on his shirt without looking at him. "I just want to pay my respects,"

"Ok," he gently hugged her back, before he got out of bed to change. "Meet me at the driveway,"


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns the anime. But I wrote this spin off ^_^. Read, Review and enjoy the new chapter. Please review!! I love reading feedback.

* * *

The walk up to the cemetery was long and quiet. Of course, Ichigo was ignoring the fight between Karin and their father. Saya was silent as she walked beside him, arm locked with his. He appreciated it; her silent support. It was much less tense than when Rukia showed up in her gigai, waving at him, in a dress more fit for a picnic than a graveyard visit the year before.

Ichigo let the rest of his family go to Masaki's grave first, telling them that he'd be along shortly. With Saya in toe he sat at the bench below a cherry blossom. She broke the silence, "you were talking in your sleep last night,"

"Doesn't everyone?" he could tell where this was going and he didn't like it.

She continued, despite his warning tone, "You blame yourself for your mother's death. It wasn't just your sleep talking that told me; it's in your eyes. I know the look, because it's the same look I gave myself growing up. When my father told me why I didn't have a mother; that she died giving birth to me, I blamed myself for years, until one day, a boy with vibrant orange hair and a smile that would light up the darkness; told me something,"

Ichigo looked at her, recalling the memory, "I told you that it wasn't your fault. Your mother chose to bring you into this world, decided that she wanted you to live, to grow up and have a life of your own."

"That's right Ichigo. Now I'm giving you the same speech. It may have been your spiritual energy that called the Grand Fisher, but it was your mother's choice to save you. She wanted you to live on, smiling. Masaki doesn't want you blaming yourself for her decision," Saya stood in front of Ichigo, eyes boring into his bowed head.

Silence.

"Thank you, Saya," he stood up and smiled down at the short haired girl. "Let's go," and he grabbed her hand.

Masaki Kurosaki's grave had recently been cleaned from leaves and dust by his sisters, when Ichigo and Saya arrived. The other family members were nowhere to be seen. "They must have gone to the shrine up the hill," inwardly thanking them for giving him some space.

The wind blew through the trees sending flowers spiraling in the air, as Saya knelt down so she was face to face with the stone. Her hands were together in a prayer with her eyes closed. Ichigo remained standing as he looked at his mother's grave. _Hey Mom. Saya's here. Remember her?.... I guess I've been acting pretty foolish these past few years, haven't I? Dad told me last year that he, Yuzu, and Karin didn't blame me for your death, and that I shouldn't either. But a part of me will always feel responsible, since it was my spiritual energy that the Grand Fisher was after, my need to save the girl. It seems my instinct to save people is taxing for those around me. Chad and Orihime have gained supernatural powers thanks to me; their lives will never be normal again. Rukia went back to soul society to be executed, because I took her power to become a shinigami and protect my family. She nearly lost her life protecting me, just like you. But I see now that it was her choice to protect me, much like it was yours on that day. I have disregarded your wish that I move on and live every day to the fullest._ _For that_, _I am sorry and I promise that I will try harder. _He leaned his head back, taking in the sun's warmth. A feeling came over him, like his mother was smiling down at him from whatever cloud she rested.

*****

"Remember the time when you fell and scraped your knee on the concrete? You were such a baby," Saya said from her spot on Ichigo's bed. She was leaning against the wall, looking at the ceiling with a smile on her face. "Soon as Masaki showed up, you stopped crying immediately. I always thought you were the strangest kid I ever met."

"One smile lit up my day, no matter what had happened seconds before. As soon as I'd see her smile, every trouble would disappear. I felt that as long as she smiled nothing was wrong or ever would be." Ichigo stared at his desk morosely. It had been a few hours since they had returned and he had just escaped from a game of scrabble with his family downstairs. Yuzu left them all in the dust.

"What's with the look?" Saya asked slightly disgruntled. "Didn't I get it through your thick skull to stop blaming yourself, baka?"

He looked at her with the same look, though slightly more peeved, pointing his thumb at the pile of homework on his desk. "All of that is due tomorrow,"

Saya broke out in laughter. "That is one hell of a face over homework. Better get cracking, you've got…"she checked the clock on his desk, "about 5 hours to complete that," she leaned back against the wall, folding her hands behind her head lazily.

With another evil glare, he turned and opened the first text….second….third…….fourth……

*****

"Ichigo!!! Wake up or your gonna be late for class!!" Yuzu called before leaving out the front door. Ichigo shot up from the desk, paper plastered to his cheek.

"Just great! I didn't finish the paper for literature class. Where's Saya?" He asked himself as he ran around getting ready, not seeing her anywhere.

Ichigo had to run flat out in order to make it to school on time. When he burst into the classroom, panting and coughing, Saya called over to him. After seating and successfully catching his breath, he asked her in a hushed tone, "Why the hell didn't you wake me up this morning? It's not like it would have been difficult considering you sleep in my room!" unbeknownst to him the class had gone quiet as the teacher had called attention. Everyone was looking between him and Saya with disbelief. Ichigo turned red in the face and Saya just stared at him as if he were delusional. There was a glint in her eye of utmost amusement that Ichigo couldn't help but notice. _You are so going to pay later!_ The rest of the class passed by rather awkwardly, as everyone was throwing him evil glances. He also noticed Orihime looking at him strangely, almost hurt. _What's her deal?_

Saya passed him a note when lunch started before she was dragged off by the other girls. He unfolded the message which read, "Meet me on the roof after next class." Chad, Keigo, Mizuiro, and Uryuu called him over to join them.

"That paper on Hamlet was killer. 5 pages of pure analysis, I can't even figure out what anyone is saying!" Keigo complained. Uryuu silently smiled to himself, laughing at the boy. It was only Hamlet after all, what buffoon couldn't understand the tragedy. Meanwhile, Mizuiro was texting to some older woman he was dating, oblivious to his companion's plight.

Chad was looking at Ichigo who ate his lunch mindlessly, completely exhausted from the night before, "What is Saya?" No one else was paying attention to either of them, so they could speak openly.

"A soul reaper. I guess Rukia won't be back for awhile, so they sent a temp," Ichigo answered taking a bite out of his lunch.

"Is her story correct?"

"Yeah, every word; I saw her pop out of her gigai. What's up Chad?" They were interrupted by the lunch bell.

"I'll talk to you after school. Meet me at the park," and Chad walked off.


	5. Chapter 5

Note: Here is the new Chapter 5. Sorry for the changes, but I really couldn't figure out how to get the rest of the story out without them. This chapter contains lemon, just to let you know. Thank you for all of the reviews, they mean a lot to me.  
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach  
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A gentle breeze blew past Ichigo as he opened the door to the roof carrying Saya's scent. She was staring out to the west when she noticed his presence. "I've been thinking….about how short life is and how quickly it can be taken away. I hated having to leave you all those years ago, it was so unfair." She watched him as he approached.

Ichigo stopped next to her, looking out to the horizon. "That's life. Anyways it wasn't your fault. Things worked out just fine, if you ask me. You are here now and that's all that matters," he smiled down at her.

Saya gave him a brief smile, turning serious again. "I don't want to spend any more time away from you, ever again. The feelings I have for you…I've never felt like this before. I've never wanted someone more than I want you now. I love you and…and…I never want to leave your side,"

Ichigo took her into his arms. "Where's this coming from?"

"Do you feel the same way?" she hugged him tighter. Ichigo stiffened. He didn't know what to say, how to react. Apart of him felt like running in the other direction, but another side held him where he stood. _Do I…love her? Is that what this feeling is? _Saya was looking at him expectantly. At his silence, she backed away from him, hurt evident in her eye.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Forget I said anything," she turned to run for the door, when Ichigo grabbed her hand pulling her into him.

"I love you too, but isn't this going a bit too fast? I mean you just came back a few days ago. Maybe we should—," he was cut off as Saya took his mouth into hers. Instinct took over and he was kissing her back with just as much passion and without reservations; his thought process long gone. Her tongue ran against his lips asking for permission. Ichigo's lips parted and their tongues met, starting a sensual frenzy. Everything surrounding them vanished and they were wrapped up in their own world.

The couple backed against a wall for support as their hands roamed the other's body. Saya's fingers ran through his orange hair, gently scratching as she went sending pleasurable trills up his spine. Ichigo was pulling her closer into him, his hands messaging her back.

Ichigo broke the kiss only to continue the charade to her lower jaw down to her neck. "Ichigo," Saya moaned, trailing her nails up and down his back. She grasped his shirt tighter when he suddenly started sucking relentlessly on her flesh. His hands were on her hips, slowly gliding up her sides. She moaned again when he graced her lower breasts and he began a trail of kisses to her chest.

He was at her collar bone when the school bell rang signaling the end of class. Both breathed heavily in exasperation for being thrust back into the real world. They looked at each other for a minute before turning bright red and bursting into laughter. After the fit passed, Saya held Ichigo's eyes playfully. "Maybe some other time, Ichi," she yelled back as she left the rooftop. Ichigo looked at the door she left in for awhile. _What the hell came over me? _Grabbing his bag he remembered how much homework he had to do and set off for home.

When Ichigo walked through his bedroom door, he did not expect to find Saya sitting on his bed. Isshin and his sisters were out at a movie, so they had the house to themselves. Saya was looking out his window at the setting sun. She was radiant, with her hair shining in the sunlight. Her eyes seemed to reflect the mystifying hues, which slowly gave way to pure white as the moon dominated the sky. The silvery glow shined on her perfect face as if she were a goddess.

"I love the moon. It's so peaceful. When I was younger, my father would tell me that it was my moon. That it only shined for me," her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

Ichigo closed the door and slowly walked toward her, "It still does, Saya," he sat down next to her and wiped her tears away, leaving his hand on her cheek. Her sapphire eyes looked into his chocolate ones. Then she shook her head closing her eyes in the process.

"It shines for you too Ichigo, "she opened her eyes to gaze into his again, grabbing his hand and leaning closer to him.

He leaned in the rest of the way, making the connection. Ichigo's hand caressed her jaw line as their lips met. It was like they were never interrupted; the tension growing exponentially. Saya shifted positions so she was sitting on Ichigo's lap, wrapping her arms around him.

A moment passed, when she broke the kiss to take her and Ichigo's shirts off. He took that instant to gaze at her perfect form; she had a firm stomach which was complimented by her lace covered breasts. He put his arms around her and they resumed tasting each other. Saya placed her hands on his chest, silently pushing Ichigo to lie on the bed. She was on top of him, her breasts caressing his chest every time she breathed. He kissed her jaw line and went down to her neck as she kissed his.

Saya sat up, making to undo her bra. She cast it aside to join their shirts. Ichigo looked upon her with renewed wonder, his hands moving slowly up her firm stomach with the guidance of her hands. "I want you to touch me, Ichigo," she moaned as he held both of her breasts, the glint of desire in her eyes. He sat up, moving his arms around her holding her to him as they kissed once more. She guided his kisses down to her chest, where he suckled her left nipple, eliciting a pleasured gasp from Saya.

She gently pushed him back down with her body. Ichigo then grabbed her mouth with his and moved so that he was on top of her. His hands were roaming freely now, working on pure instinct. He lowered himself to her chest, kissing each breast, as his fingers traced up her legs, she sighed in pleasure. He trailed his kiss down to her stomach wanting to taste every inch of her succulent skin.

He came upon her skirt and broke the trail to sit up. His hands were on her skirt and he looked to her for permission. She nodded, determination and longing in her eyes. He gently pulled down the garment along with her underwear, past her knees and to the floor. She went onto her knees naked before him and kissed him again, as her hands started undoing his pants. His hands caressed her shoulders, never breaking the kiss. She had finished unclasping them and he stood to take them off.

Ichigo bent down over her, his arms to each side of her, forcing her to lay back down under him. They looked at each other for a moment, "Ready?" Ichigo's voice was husky as he searched her face. Saya smiled at him.

"I want to be with you, Ichigo, forever," She kissed him and he took the minute to join their bodies. She would have cried out, but it came out as a moan as their tongues danced. Saya put her arms around his neck, urging him on while her legs wrapped around him. Ichigo pushed further until he was fully inside her.He looked into her eyes, they gleamed with happiness. She smiled up at him with all the love she could spare.

"I love you, Saya," He gently started to pull out and then plunged back in. She moaned his name as the friction built.

"I love you too, Ichi," She moved in rhythm to his thrusts increasing the tempo. They were both breathing heavily as they continued.

Ichigo bit her lower lip playfully, pulling out and away before she could bite back, causing her to laugh. When he entered her again, she used her legs to hold him in place so she could bite his lip. "Can I be on top?" He smiled at her, scooping her form into his arms while sustaining their connection, and going onto his back.

Saya started impaling herself on his shaft, causing him to moan. As she moved her breasts were mesmerizing as they bounced with her. He let her do it alone for a moment, but he was too tempted to jerk into her. He sat up, holding her breasts in his palms and licked at her nipples relentlessly. He moved his hands to her sides, using his strength to hold her in place and pumped into her as fast as he could. She cried out his name in ecstasy, wrapping her arms around him, grinding onto him just as fast. Ichigo couldn't hold on any longer and with one last thrust he squeezed his eyes shut releasing into her. Saya came soon after, her nails digging into his back. He forced his lips to hers, pushing her back under him as he collapsed on top of her.

After a few moments, Ichigo got off of Saya, rolling to the side while keeping her in his arms. He propped himself on his elbow to look at her better, using his other hand to caress her face. She gazed just as intently back at him. "I feel like I've been waiting for you this whole time, like we were meant to be together. It feels so natural for you to be with me like this." Saya smiled at that and they kissed before falling asleep in each other's arms.

So, how was it? I've never written lemon before, but I like how it came out. If you think I could have done something differently, then write your own ^_^, just kidding. Tell me what you think! Thanks for reading.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach

Note: Thanks for reading and reviewing!

"Ichigo, where were you yesterday? Did you forget about our meeting at the park?" Ishida inquired with a scowl.

"What meet- oh shoot. I totally forgot! Hey wait, I thought I was just supposed to meet up with Chad, why the hell are you asking?" Ichigo scratched his head.

"Yeah well, Orihime and I were included, soul reaper," he simply replied as if it was obvious. Orihime and Chad joined them.

"What did you guys wanna talk about?" he felt like they were ganging up on him, like missing a meeting was a felony. Even Chad looked peeved. "What the hell is going on with you guys?"

Orihime was going to reply when the teacher suddenly walked in and demanded everyone's attention. Ichigo could feel that they were staring at him with so much intensity that it felt like daggers on his back. _What the hell is their problem? _Saya sidled into the room twenty minutes later, unnoticed by the teacher but not by Ichigo's companions.

"Hey where have you been?" Ichigo whispered to her when the teacher turned to the board.

"Sorry. I got pulled away on a quick assignment early this morning, it took awhile to complete," Saya sighed back just as the teacher turned toward the class. They didn't get an opportunity to speak to each other for the rest of the class but they did chance glances. Ichigo barely paid attention, completely distracted by the flying daggers his friends were casting and by wandering thoughts of Saya.

As soon as the lunch bell rang, Saya grabbed Ichigo's hand, leading him out of the door before Chad, Uryuu, or Orihime could say approach. They picked an isolated area to have their lunch, not wanting any intruders, namely his comrades. Halfway through lunch, Saya set aside her sandwich, "so what's going on with you and your friends?"

"What do you mean?" He was genuinely curious.

"Don't tell me you didn't feel the below zero temperature. As soon as I walked in that classroom, I felt like I should have worn a winter coat. Didn't you notice them staring at us? I mean nothing against your friends, but they kind of creep me out. Orihime is nice, but she's always looking at you. When I catch her, she just looks down at her books, acting innocent. Four-eyes seems like he's analyzing me all the time," Saya looked at Ichigo. "Chad is the tallest man I've ever seen and the quietest; he seems like he would pummel anyone in his path. I'm sorry,"

"Nah, don't be. Uryuu has that affect on everyone. Of course with me, he always tries to act smarter and superior; but he just comes off as a nerd with a god complex," he paused to put his arm around her shoulder, "As for Orihime, don't worry about her. She can look all she wants, but the only one I'm looking at, is you. Anyway, her and I didn't used to be friends, in fact, I barely knew her before I became a shinigami. A hollow attacked her once," he un-wrapped his arm from around Saya and leaned forward with both arms on his legs. _There hasn't been any hollow activity for awhile now. What's up? I guess I should just be thankful for the peace, but it's odd. _

"It was related to her?" Saya urged.

"Yeah, it used to be her brother. He actually broke through his hollow mask and managed to send himself before he could turn back. She's been able to see hollows since then. Chad is just watching my back, like always. I would do the same for him," _I should go back and apologize to them, but for what? They couldn't know about what Saya and I did, could they? Not that it matters; its none of their business what I do in my personal life. _

They ate in silence for awhile. Ichigo was thinking of ways to face his friends when Saya called his attention. "Ichigo, I need to tell you something," He turned fully toward her sensing the seriousness in her voice. "It's about the night I was killed. I haven't been completely honest with you; you see, I didn't know how much I could trust you with," she wrung her hands in her skirt, taking a few breathes. "I'm not an official soul reaper; I didn't die in the ally that day. I'm an assistant soul reaper, like you,"

"Why are you telling me this now?" Ichigo said slightly peeved that she lied to him. "Just because I'm a soul reaper doesn't mean that I've changed since I last saw you,"

"I know that. It's just, I didn't know if you would feel honor bound to report me to the Soul Society. I didn't want to burden you with my secret," Saya was speaking to the ground.

"No offence to Soul Society, but they tried to kill me when they found out about Rukia lending me her powers. I would never put you through that, Saya. Do you know who killed him?" He looked at her curiously, feeling her reasons for lying were justified.

"Odd as it may seem, I don't remember. I've forgotten what happened that day; only snatches and pieces come to me every time I try. I suppose psychologist would say that I can't handle what happened and so my mind blocks it out. I do remember seeing my father getting killed; I see it as clearly as I see you now. I can still smell the blood; see it dripping from the sword as it left his body. I can see my dad's lifeless eyes-" Water threatened to overflow in her eyes as she looked at Ichigo, who seemed shocked. Her hand went to cover her eyes wiping away the tears.

"Stop it, Saya," Ichigo hugged her until she calmed down. _A sword? Could it have been a soul reaper?_ "Do you know who made you a shinigami?" She sat back up.

"He never told me his name, said that it would be dangerous for both of us if Soul Society found out. He trained me in vanquishing hollows and has been calling my cell with special assignments since. I haven't seen him face to face since then until this morning," She stated to the air. There was a moments silence as Ichigo took in the information. "Thank you for understanding Ichigo. I didn't like lying to you, even if I only had to tell you once, it felt wrong. I'm –"

Ichigo interrupted her apology with a kiss, which she reciprocated with vigor adding her tongue. They pulled away momentarily, love in their eyes, all forgiven.

"Hey let's get ice cream! Its today's special, please Ichigo?" Saya bounced up, grabbing his hand.

"Alright," he got up and followed her.

Ichigo's aforementioned friends were walking out to their usual lunch spot, when they say him and Saya running for the lunch room. A second hollow scream could be heard in the opposite direction a minute later.

"This isn't like him. He's acting like he can't even hear the hollow," Orihime said.

"Maybe he can't. I have a suspicion that this Saya isn't who she says she is; we don't know what her powers are, or her capabilities. For all we know, she could be allied with Aizen. We'll get to the bottom of this Orihime. Chad and I will take care of the hollow. In the meantime, I need you to find a way to contact Rukia and tell her about Saya," Uryuu ordered as he and Chad ran toward the hollow.


	7. Chapter 7

Tite Kubo owns Bleach

Enjoy and Review Please!

"Kurosaki-kun," Orihime rounded the corner to Ichigo and Saya's lunch location; she had waited for them to return to their spot after getting ice cream; Ishida and Chad were still out taking care of the hollow. Ichigo looked up at her, inviting her to continue, while Saya resumed eating her dessert. "Can I…can I speak with you for a moment?"

"Sure, Orihime, what is it?" Ichigo asked making no move to leave Saya.

"It's kind of personal…"Orihime looked very uncomfortable. Saya looked up at her with a smile, then back to Ichigo.

"It's alright, go on," Saya pushed him up. He didn't argue and followed Orihime a distance away.

"What's on your mind?" Ichigo put his hands in his pockets, looking at Orihime with interest. She looked away in embarrassment that he was paying so much attention to her. _He's calmer these days. I don't think I've seen him scowl since the first day Saya came back into his life. I don't want to hurt him, but he needs to know._

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?" she looked down to her hands.

"Yeah, never been better, why?" she nodded paying close attention to his words.

"It's just, the meeting….we wanted to talk to you about the hollows-,"

"It is weird that there hasn't been any lately, I mean, this time last year, they wouldn't stop coming," Ichigo rambled on.

"-and Saya," Orihime dragged on, wanting nothing more than to just spit it out. Ichigo stared at her for a moment, getting suspicious.

"What about her?" his famous scowl returned. _I thought so._

Sensing the atmosphere had turned slightly cold, Orihime decided to derail his temper. "You're really happy around her. Ever since I've known you, I haven't seen you so relaxed. It makes me wonder what is so special about Saya?" she took a breath, not meeting his eyes, and not wanting to do this.

"She's my best friend. No she's more than that; having her around is... Let me put it like this, since Rukia lent me her powers, all I've been around are hollows and constant fighting. Saya reminds me what it's like to be human which, honestly, I haven't felt like in a long time. You probably don't get it, but… she stopped the chaos inside my head," he concluded, knowing that Orihime would understand his meaning, calming down slightly, and giving her a small smile. She wouldn't look up at him still, "What are you getting at, Orihime? What's really on your mind?" _Am I really that easy to read?_ She thought, almost honored that he understood her so well, but heartbroken that he found someone who could do for him, what countless others couldn't; and it wasn't her. Being in love with Ichigo, and seeing him happier with someone else, and knowing that that someone might hurt him; was borderline torture.

Tears formed in her eyes, "It's just that….Ichigo, I…I don't think…we have suspicions…"she stopped taking another breath and looking up at him._"_I trust your judgment, Ichigo, I do. I mean, you risked your life for me when Soul Society deemed me a traitor, because you knew I wasn't. But I'm afraid that your feelings for Saya are clouding your judgment. I don't trust her and neither do Uryuu or Chad. I don't know why, but when I look at her I get a bad vibe. I'm afraid that she might hurt you. What if Saya is working for Aizen and you are too blinded by your love for her to see it?"

I will post another chapter soon. I want to get the right mood for this and it's very difficult! Hope you enjoyed this small bit, sorry for it being so short. Review please! ^_^


	8. Chapter 8

Hello! Thanks for staying with me so far. I hope this story is as exciting to read as it is to write it. Please continue reviewing, I live off of them.

Tite Kubo owns Bleach and what a great writer he is too.

He looked livid, but he was controlling his voice, "Where the hell did you get that bullshit? Saya working for Aizen? I would like to know how you came to that conclusion. You haven't even really talked with her; hell you barely even know her. Where's the evidence, besides your gut?"

Orihime could have stared holes into the ground as hard as she was looking, "Well, Uryuu…"

"Uryuu, I should have known," Ichigo interrupted. "So he thinks that Saya is working for Aizen to get at me? That because she's a face from the past I'd blow caution to the wind and welcome her with open arms? So what is Aizen having Saya do, according to you three?" he actually paused for a moment before blowing out air and turning to the side,"You guys must think I'm pretty stupid,"

"No, Kurosaki-kun, it's not like that. We aren't just going off of Uryuu's suspicions, it's just that-"

"What is it like then?" He glared down at her, cutting her off again.

"You've been getting farther and farther away from us; like she wants you separated from us, detached. I feel it every day. It feels like your being distracted or blindsided or whatever, and it's because of Saya,"

"Where do you get off on accusing Saya of anything, when she has done to deserve it? What exactly is Aizen supposedly getting from this? I'm not the only one who can take that son of a bitch down; he knows that. And so what if I'm not spending every fricken minute with you three? I want to spend more time with Saya to build something of a normal life, forgive me for not knowing it was a crime," he paused to lower his steadily rising voice. "She makes me happy; that's it. There is no one controlling my actions or Saya's. Just trust me on this,"

"But Ichigo-"she looked up at him, pleading for him to listen to her.

"No Orihime. That's enough," His eyes bore into hers full of anger. A minute passed with them not breaking eye contact, then a sudden sadness entered Ichigo's eyes and he averted his gaze to the ground, "I finally find someone who gets me, who I can relax around, and my friends think she's working with Aizen. Bet it's hard to believe that any sane person would want to be with a carrot-head like me," he took a step away. "You know, I liked having you guys as friends; never had any before, not real ones anyway. Guess it was too good to last,"

"Wait, Ichigo, please," she pleaded reaching her hand out to him and grabbing his shirt sleeve. "Don't let our friendship end. We need you with us; you mean everything to us; you changed our lives," _You made my life better, Ichigo. Just being with you brightens my day._

"I changed your lives alright," he breathed out scathingly. "Face it Orihime, before you met me, you had a normal life. If you hadn't been affected by my spiritual pressure, nothing you've experienced so far would have happened. We wouldn't be talking like this or even be this close outside of class. You, Chad, and Uryuu would be better off if you hadn't met me. My spiritual pressure has affected _you_ the most. I never thought I'd hear you talking badly of another human being, but here you are casting stones at Saya," he paused tilting his head to the cloudy sky. "This is goodbye Orihime. See you around," he pulled his arm away from her and walked back to Saya who was watching with interest. Orihime saw her lean towards Ichigo, concern on her face, mouth moving. Ichigo shook his head and grabbed her hand. Chad and Uryuu returned in time to see them leave.

"What's up with you and Orihime?" Saya leaned forward watching Ichigo's hurt facial expression. He just shook his head, reaching for her hand. She silently followed beside him.

Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu stayed behind. The boys were trying to soothe Orihime, who had started crying. She told them about the encounter after she let it out. Uryuu was the first to comment, as Chad never really says anything. "She has him wrapped around her finger. I wonder how she did it. Didn't you tell him about the hollow activity?"

Orihime shook her head, "He can't hear them at all, but I didn't get a chance to tell him that they were still around."

"His hollow hasn't been bothering him either? What is going on?" Orihime retreated into her own thoughts while Ishida ran through a list of possibilities.

"_Saya reminds me what it's like to be human which, honestly, I haven't felt like in a long time. You probably don't get it, but… she stopped the chaos inside my head,"' Ichigo. Does she really make you feel that way? Are you…do you love her? Is that the power she has over you…love?_

Saya and Ichigo walked slowly into class in silence, still holding hands. Chad, Uryuu, and Orihime walked in soon after them, still talking though with more discretion, shooting quick glances toward Ichigo. He noticed this and decided that it was time for everyone to know about him and Saya. Saya made to sit down behind him like always trying to release her hand from Ichigo's, but he pulled her close to him instead.

"What do you say we make a public announcement?" She smiled at him, knowing what he was implying and nodded. She knew he was angry at his friends, could tell from the glares he was darting across the room, and that this was a means of payback, but she didn't care. He leaned down and took her mouth with his. Saya played along and kissed back with a sigh. Everything went quiet suddenly.

Before either of them knew it, they were surrounded by their classmates and they parted. Keigo was bouncing off the walls shouting,"No, no, no! I'm supposed to get a girl before Ichigo! This isn't fair!" he was in Ichigo's face,"You didn't tell me you had a girlfriend," Ichigo did his usual, fist to Keigo's face.

"Because it's none of your damn business!" He was smiling though.

Tatsuki went up to Ichigo, smiling too. "So you're finally back, huh Ichigo? I'm glad," she said barely audible. She walked away afterwards, Ichigo watching her as she went. His gaze wandered over to his "friends" they were huddled together, Uryuu was talking, but Chad was the only one listening. Orihime had tears in her eyes, hurt evident in her every feature as she looked at him. Tatsuki pulled her out into the hall.

"What's wrong Orihime? You should be happy for Ichigo," Tatsuki began.

"I know, but…" She began, unable to really tell her friend what is going on. "I don't trust her,"

"I played with her too when I was younger, along with Ichigo, though not nearly as often. She is kind, gentle, fun; but more importantly Saya was the only one who could reach Ichigo when he was suffering after losing his mother. I will be forever thankful to her for helping Ichigo all those years ago," Tatsuki leaned against the wall looking at Orihime.

"That was then. What if something happened and…and she turned bad?" Orihime was trying to get her to grasp where she was going.

"Have you seen Ichigo these past few days? He's happy! He's back to his old self, before his mother died. He is actually smiling. How can Saya be bad, when she has done nothing but help him?" Tatsuki was getting frustrated. She had known Ichigo since he was little boy, through karate. What happened to him was not fair, and she had to watch him go through hell ever since. Tatsuki could almost see the weights that were pulling Ichigo down. It was nice to see a genuine smile his face and the weights slowly leave his shoulders.

"But-, "Orihime began, but Tatsuki cut her off.

"Orihime, stop this. I know you love him, and I can't imagine how it feels to see him in love with someone else, but you can't destroy his happiness for your own," she walked back into class.

_What if Tatsuki's right? Am I just jealous? Am I really that horrible? _She slid to the floor in despair. _Uryuu and Chad though…and the hollow. I don't know. Ichigo, what should I do? _

Orihime to the rescue! If anyone can do it, she can! I had no idea this was going to happen; I hadn't actually planned it this way, but they just took the story into their own hands. I hope they don't interject for the rest of the story I had planned. Pray that they can make up!


	9. Chapter 9

Note: This chapter contains lemon, probably the most graphic I have ever been, but it's nothing compared to other lemons out there. Admittedly, I have no experience in writing love scenes, but that is why I continue to write; to gain practice. (Not just in lemon, but in general) Please offer any pointers or critiques that will make it better. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it and review.

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach and all the characters. Hope no one minds me writing my own little side story ^_^

The sun rose above the horizon to greet Karakura Town with its brilliant rays. The golden light pierced through the shades in Ichigo's room, hitting said teen. Brown eyes blinked awake in response; taking a deep breath to stretch in the small area of his twin sized bed he was allowed. He looked down to see Saya contentedly asleep in his arms, with a smile on her face. _I could wake up like this every day._ He thought, smiling himself.

He moved on to his side and Saya followed him, not letting him go. He bent down to her face, kissing her temple and whispered in her ear, "Saya, its morning,"

Saya groaned, hugging him tighter. "Hmmm, I don't want to ever wake up. I could lay here forever in your arms,"

"Well if you don't wake up then I guess we can't do any of the things I had planned today," Ichigo baited.

Saya opened one blue eye to look into his brown ones, playfully taking the bait. "What kind of things?"

"For starters, breakfast in bed," He kissed her nose. "Then we'll go to the beach and have lunch at the park," Ichigo kissed her cheek. "Whatever comes after that will be up to you," he finished by kissing her lips.

"Sounds good, I suppose I could get up for that," Saya smiled up at him, pulling his arm around her.

"Hey," Ichigo weakly attempted to pull away.

"You forgot morning cuddles in your agenda," she said as she buried herself further into him, forming a spoon.

Fifteen minutes later Ichigo came back into the room carrying breakfast. Saya was sitting up in the bed, her night dress visible from her stomach up, with the blanket covering her legs. She smiled at him when she noticed as he closed the door.

"Everyone decided to go to the market this morning. We have the house to ourselves," He said as he placed the bed tray on her lap, revealing a neat stack of three pancakes topped with syrup and melted butter.

"Did you make this?" Saya looked at him with wonder. He laughed at her incredulity.

"I can cook, if that's what you're asking," She eyed him oddly for a minute. He gave in, "Pancakes are probably the most complicated meal I have ever done. I can make the best bowl of cereal in the house, but that's about it. You are lucky those aren't burnt,"

"What about your breakfast?" Saya asked.

"I'll eat later," a mysterious gleam entered his eyes as he replied. She looked at him suspiciously, but then shrugged taking a bite…then another. She was torturing him with as long as she was taking to taste his work. She was smiling to herself the whole time.

Ichigo was getting impatient, "So how is it?"

"Hmmm, I don't know. Maybe another bite," she took her time until finally she swallowed the piece, looking at Ichigo with scrutiny. The look disappeared into a bright smile, "I love it,"

He let a breath out, not realizing he had been holding it. He hopped into bed next to her, grabbing the fork from her, and stabbing a piece placed it in his mouth. Saya was watching him the entire time. He did a good job, it almost tasted like Yuzu's cooking. Ichigo stabbed another piece and offered it to Saya. Syrup unceremoniously dripped on to her chest, dribbling down under her night dress. She looked at him like 'are you serious?' but with a 'you are hopeless' smile.

"Nice move Ichigo, you're such a klutz. I'll be back in a second," She placed the tray on the ground by the bed, as she attempted to get up to clean herself. Ichigo grabbed her arm, pulling her back into bed, the gleam back in his eyes.

"Allow me," he kissed her and then lowered himself down to her chest. He licked at the syrup on her chest, causing her to giggle; following the trail down until he ran into her dress. _So this is what he wanted for breakfast. _She smiled to a moment he had removed her clothing and continued suckling at her flesh. Saya moaned when he licked between her breasts, not expecting the pleasure.

Ichigo finished the trail of syrup at her naval, but went further down drawn by the enriched scent of her arousal. He interrupted his course to kiss her mouth sensuously, the taste of syrup on his tongue. A hand started massaging her body, starting from her breasts and slowly trailing down her stomach. Ichigo's fingers messaged her sex. She moaned into the kiss caressing his body in turn. "Ichigo," she cried out as he plunged two fingers into her, pushing in and out of her. She squealed impatiently when he stopped his ministrations.

His body was between her legs a second later, so he could proceed tasting her. Saya watched him with lust in her eyes, as his tongue worked her body into fiery frenzy starting at her knee and working down to her inner thigh. Her eyes flashed open when he blew on her sex unexpectedly and she gasped. Ichigo looked up at her with a smile on his face, his hands massaging her legs and driving her crazy whenever he came close to touching her nether region. Without further hesitation he started eating her out, his tongue exploring every crevice, tasting her. Saya cried out his name in surprise, writhing against him and arching her back.

He started working her with his tongue, causing her to grind into his face and moan. Ichigo brought his hands up to her breasts and played with her nipples driving her closer to climax. She tasted exquisite. Without warning a flood erupted from Saya and she nearly screamed his named in ecstasy. He made short work of cleaning her out before getting back up to kiss her. She tasted herself on Ichigo's mouth and was aroused again, as her hands explored his muscled body.

"Wow," Saya began between breaths. But Ichigo didn't let her continue, claiming her mouth again. He kissed her neck, nipping at the skin at her nape.

He was wearing his usual flannel pajamas that unbuttoned. Saya drove her tongue in his mouth while unbuttoning his shirt. When a few were undone, she sank down to his chest following her hands. She was in a trance feeling his toned body under her fingertips, feeling the heat radiating off his skin. The remains of his shirt were tossed away as she continued to devour his chest. The waistband of his pants was in her hands waiting to be removed. Ichigo attempted to sit up to capture her mouth with his, but she pushed him back down, smiling devilishly.

The pants were gone instantly and Saya was met with the instrument of the other night's passion. She took hold, gaining a gasp from Ichigo. She went back to kissing his body, but her hand started rubbing him up and down. He groaned, arching his back toward her. She nipped at one of his nipples, at which time he grabbed her face in his hands and crashed his lips to hers, while she continued to work him. Before he knew it he thrusting himself into her hand. After awhile, he pulled her hand away, panting. "The way you're going, I'll give out early," he laughed. She laughed as well leaning against him.

A door slammed downstairs, signifying the return of Yuzu, Karin, and Isshin. Saya and Ichigo looked at each other like deer caught in the headlights. "Holy shit, what are they doing home so early?" Ichigo hastily grabbed some day clothes while he looked out the window. Saya got up and grabbed her clothes from the closet, while Ichigo ran around the room cleaning up. Ichigo had his hand on the door handle and smiled at Saya, "I'm going to take a cold shower. Very cold,"

"Don't be too long," she joked. He disappeared into the hallway, quietly closing the door behind him and making a break for the bathroom.


	10. Chapter 10

Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Disclaimer: Bleach isn't mine, it belongs to Tite Kubo.  
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Saya and Ichigo walked to the Karakura Beach after narrowly escaping detection from his family. It wasn't that he was ashamed of his relationship with Saya, but if his family knew, then they would never get any time alone. They were laughing about the morning incident when they came upon the sand. It had never been more crowded. Ichigo was tempted to suggest a different location, but Saya looked at the sea with wonder, since she had never seen one before. He led them to one of the only available slots, by a group of snooty teenage girls gossiping about the latest news.

Ichigo and Saya were sprayed with sand as a group of kids shot passed them. Saya giggled when Ichigo started shouting at the kids to slow down, holding him in place by hugging his arm. He turned on her instead, lifting her into the air and spinning around so her legs swung out. They laughed together as they spun, lost in their own world. He set her down on her feet gently, never letting their eyes part. "Ichigo, what's the look for?" Saya asked concerned when his happy expression changed.

Ichigo touched her cheek, his eyes searching her face, "I'm just amazed,"

Saya brought her hand to his on her face, leaning into it, "By what?" she looked just as intensely back.

"By you, your smile, your laugh; everything about you just blows me away. I can't believe you're with me. But I don't think I could love anyone more,"

"Ichigo…I love you too," he could feel her face heat up as she blushed. "You better believe I'm with you, otherwise what have we been doing? I wouldn't want to be with anyone else," They hadn't realized it, but they had migrated closer together almost face to face. Their moment was interrupted by a beach ball hitting Ichigo's head. He grumbled, grabbing the ball and looking for the owner amongst the crowd. He nearly fell over when he found them waving at him.

Yoruichi and Urahara, along with Tessai, Jinta, and Ururu all walked over to them.

"You threw that ball on purpose, Mr. Hat and Clogs," Ichigo yelled pointing at the shop keeper accusingly.

Opening a fan and waving at himself, Urahara stated, "Technically it was Yoruichi. She came up with the idea,"

"Have to keep you in line, Ichigo. You are getting sloppy. Under normal circumstances you would have seen it coming, but I can see why you're distracted," the ex captain was examining Saya, poking and prodding her. "So this is more your type. You could have told me when we were alone in the spring naked together not so long ago,"

Ichigo turned ten shades of red, separating Yoruichi from Saya. He opened his mouth to counter, Saya watching him with amusement, but then closed it again. "Yoruichi!"

"Relax Ichigo. You are so uptight. I was just kidding," she winked at him, walking to Saya again whispering in her ear, "no sense of humor,"

"I know what you mean," she giggled.

Tessai took Ururu and Jinta back to the volleyball court in the water, allowing the adults to talk. Ichigo put his arm around Saya, "Why are all of you here, don't you have a shop to run?"

"We do close the shop on occasion, Ichigo. Yoruichi has never seen the ocean. They don't have one where she comes from," Urahara stated smiling, keeping with secrecy, as he doesn't know about Saya.

"I haven't either. Where are you from?" Saya asked looking to the woman.

"I lived in a town in the middle of a desert. The town is so small; I can't even find it on the map. What about you?" She was curious about the girl, though she couldn't put a finger on why. Maybe it was the way Ichigo was acting; he wasn't known to be so public, even if he's never had a girlfriend before.

"Well I grew up here in Karakura years ago, but I was never taken to this beach. I've been in the America's since then, in the Southwest," Saya replied.

Urahara pulled Ichigo along as he started strolling away from the pair, to let the girls talk, "We don't want to get involved with their conversation, if I know Yoruichi," Ichigo just followed, taking his word for it.

"So you've known Ichigo a long time then. Hard to believe you're with him. He must be pretty good in bed for you to stay with him," a sheepish grin graced Yoruichi's face, joking.

Saya turned multiple shades of red, "well it's not just that…" The woman started laughing.

"Wow, he's finally done it! I thought that prude would never get up the courage. So is he good?" she sat down patting the towel next to her.

Not losing any shades yet she replied, "Well…um…"

Yoruichi patted her shoulder, "Come on; don't be shy,"

Saya's redness went down somewhat, "He's perfect. Sex with him feels…natural, crazy, fantastic; all of those things at once. We've only been together once, well twice if you count this morning, but the way he is with me, it's almost like we were meant to be together, like soul mates," the brilliant blush returned as she remembered the events.

"Soul mates huh. I'm not sure I believe in that, but I will tell you that Ichigo has never acted like this before. Urahara and I noticed you two coming here. I saw the way he looks at you; you mean a great deal to him. You are something special to tame Ichigo Kurosaki," Yoruichi looked out to the sea.

"I'm not really. Ichigo and I used to be best friends when we were younger. I was around during the incident with his mother; I was the only one, besides his family, that understood that kind of loss. Ichigo and I promised each other that we would always be honest with each other and boost each other up. The Ichigo you see now is the Ichigo I grew up with. I don't know how he was acting since I left; from what I've heard from everyone else, he was closed off, angry at the world, and stubborn. The stubbornness hasn't changed, but he was always open with me. He may have been angry at the world, and he still is," she giggled, "But I haven't changed him, he's just acting like his old self. I think he's doing it for my sake. I've never liked change, and he knows it would really hurt me if he started acting like the person you all know. It's one of the things I love about him. You don't have to worry, Yoruichi san. I wouldn't hurt Ichigo to save my life,"

"Damn, I thought I was subtle," she laughed. "You're alright, Saya. Sorry about that, it's just Ichigo is important to a lot of people here. Like I said before, I've never seen him this relaxed. He's vulnerable, wearing his heart on his sleeve the way he is," she scrunched her face, "I sound like his mother, don't I? Urahara and I trained him, so we kind of feel responsible for Ichigo, almost like we are his guardians,"

"I understand, I'll watch his back," Saya finished with a smile. "Hey, wanna join in the game?" She could see Urahara had enlisted Ichigo in a game of tossing a ball over a net with the kids.

Soon as they converged on the scene, Jinta, Ururu, and Tessai left for some ice cream; leaving only the four of them. Ichigo teamed with Saya against Urahara and Yoruichi. It was a tough game; Ichigo and Yoruichi were getting competitive with each other. Eventually Ichigo and Saya won and left the beach for the next destination.

Please review! I love constructive criticism. I hope everyone enjoyed reading about their date part two. Just a side note about the lemon scenes in previous chapters; both Ichigo and Saya were protected, but putting the details for that would have slowed the flow of the story. Anyway, sorry I made Yoruichi so nosy; but as the phrase goes "curiosity killed the cat" MEOW. I tried to get her personality, but I think I missed it by several miles. I wanted to include Urahara and Yoruichi somewhere in the story, and I thought an alternate scenery for them would be comical and less serious for once. Anyway, thank you for reading and please review.


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach; all credit for series creation goes to Tite Kubo. He truly made a unique series with lots of lovable characters.

"Where to next?" Saya asked jumping up and down. A gentle breeze swept the air, bringing with it the scent of the food market down the street. Her stomach involuntarily growled and she turned bright red.

Ichigo could only smirk, admiring how cute she was when she blushed. He put his arm around her, "Lunch obviously. What are you in the mood for? We can have Chinese, traditional Japanese, American…the list goes on,"

"Umm…American sounds good," she looked at him for agreement. "What happened to lunch at the park?"

"Yuzu was patrolling the food storage this morning. It's like a combat zone when she's there and no one's allowed to take anything, something about a budget. Mom used to do that, remember? We used to try and sneak food to see if she'd notice," Ichigo laughed. "Anyway, I know a good place we can go,"

They walked for two more blocks coming to a restaurant called "Jessie's". It was a quaint establishment with a semi 50's look. Plants lined the section dividers, which somehow made it seem more welcoming. A petite waitress, ironically named Jessica, sat Ichigo and Saya to a booth for two near the window. "Welcome to Jessie's, can I start you off with a beverage?"

"Water with lemon please," Saya requested. Ichigo ordered an orange soda.

"Water with lemon?" he asked while looking at the menu.

She looked up at him from her menu, "What? I like water with lemon. Remember, I never liked soda,"

"Here you are: One orange soda and one water with lemon," Jessica placed them next to their owners, "Are you ready to order?" she pulled out a pad of paper when Ichigo nodded after checking with Saya.

"A bacon cheeseburger with fries," Ichigo handed his menu back to the waitress.

"I'll have the southwestern salad," she handed hers back too, "Oh can I get extra dressing with that?"

"Sure. I'll have your order out soon," she walked away with a smile.

Ichigo looked at Saya with disbelief, "Have you turned into a health nut? Out of everything on the menu, you choose leaves?"

She smiled at him mischievously, "Stop picking on my eating habits if you know what's good for you, Ichigo. I've never been big with grease or meat; my dad wasn't a fan either. I guess his palate passed down to me. Besides, southwestern salad is my favorite. I haven't had it since I left America,"

"So you really did visit America. I thought it was just your front story to tell everyone. Which states did you visit?" he took a drink, relishing the fizzing sensation running down his throat. He hadn't realized how thirsty he was, but as hard as he played against Yoruichi he shouldn't be surprised.

Saya busied herself with squeezing the lemon into the water and stirring, "Well, I had to stay mostly out of shinigami territory, which was difficult. The least jurisdiction they had was in Arizona and New Mexico. There weren't enough hollows for the shinigami to fret over, so it was fair game. I was surprised there weren't many hollows, given the territory's history, but I guess the dearly departed didn't want to stay, no matter what their living conflict was, because of the history,"

"As hot as it gets there, I'm shocked people stay in the first place. I heard someone could cook an egg on the ground the sun is so close," Ichigo mentioned.

"A kid actually did that. I saw him on one of my patrols. I followed him home, just to see what other cooky things he would try. His parent's owned a small restaurant; it's where I was introduced to my salad," as she finished their food was delivered to the table. Saya stirred hers up and drove her fork through the lettuce, "Try it, it's to die for,"

Ichigo shook his head, "That's a matter of opinion. I don't do lettuce, it's too leafy,"

"Baby. Come on, one bite won't kill you," he relented and rolled his eyes as he tried the bit on her fork. Chipotle peppers mixed with ranch and several other herbs exploded in his mouth. There was more flavor in that bite than he had ever tasted in all of the food he had tried in his life.

"Wow, that is good," Ichigo almost wanted to return his order and get it instead, but the bacon cheeseburger was something he couldn't just pass up.

"Told you. You can't judge a book by its cover," she dug into her salad.

"Well, Miss Philosophical, how'd you get the money to pay for it in America?" the burger was almost gone already. *(I was thinking of Senna when I wrote this, and how she just took what she wanted without paying for it. I thought it would be kind of cute to show one of Ichigo's pet peeves.)

"I worked part time, how else Mr. Oblivious?" they finished their meal quickly. "Ice cream?"

"You are obsessed with ice cream," he said after he ordered it.

"Guilty!" she threw up her hands with a smile. Ichigo couldn't help but laugh.

Ten minutes later they were walking down the street towards the center of town laughing and having a good time. Several people smiled at them as they walked by. "….so the dwarf gets out of the truck; stomps over to the car and yells, "I am not happy!" then the man in the car asks, "Well, which one are you?" Ichigo barely got it out before he burst out laughing.

She laughed just as loud, "He actually said that? Oh my Kami, what an idiot!" The sun was past its peak and was slowly making its decent. "Hey, I know where I want to go next. I want to go to that building's roof,"

Ichigo looked where she was pointing, "Ok, but why?"

"To see the city cast in the sun's golden light near sunset. It was my favorite thing to do in New Mexico; the mountains would turn red and then blue, until the sun disappeared. Haven't you just wanted to watch the sunset from a high place?" she started walking toward the building with Ichigo next to her holding her hand.

"Never really thought about it, I'm always busy with homework or hollows. I knew a girl once who loved high places; wanted to ride the Ferris Wheel all the time," Saya looked at him with something like jealousy and he quickly said, "We never…I didn't think of her like that…I can't even remember her name,"

She smiled and laughed, "I've got you trained, Ichigo. Good response," they got closer to the building and found out it was an apartment complex. "There's another reason I want to go here. The shinigami who saved me…he uh…wants to meet you," she laughed nervously again. "I think it's his paternal instinct, but he needs to make sure I'm being taken care of, at least that's what he says,"

Ichigo felt his stomach clench, "Uh, sure. This will be…interesting. Should I change?"

"Don't get nervous. Your reputation in the Soul Society is well known and he's familiar with your story. You're dressed fine, Ichigo. If you want to ditch your body, that's fine too," Saya reassured with a smile.

He shook his head looking at the neighborhood, which looked more like the slums. _Hell if I'm leaving my body here_, "Nah, that's alright," They entered the building to find it abandoned.

There was a notice on the wall stating it was set to be demolished the following day due to increased pest infestation and a faulty foundation. The floor was littered with dust and papers and the windows for the front office were broken. The emergency stairs were off to the right. Saya squeezed his hand reassuringly and kissed him, "It'll be fine; he'll say his piece and leave, we'll watch the sunset and then we can go home,"

He liked that phrase, when she put 'we' and 'home' in the same sentence. Then he got into thinking about protocol for relationships. _Shit, now I'll have to tell dad about her, and I'll never hear the end of it. _He could hear his father now, 'Our son has become a man, Masaki!' _What joy._ "I suppose I'll have to introduce you to my family now," Ichigo smiled, "Goodbye privacy, hello constant interruptions,"

"Your family isn't that bad, Ichigo," she said.

"You'll have to sleep in a different room, probably with my sisters," he grumbled having gotten used to not sleeping alone.

"Well that changes things. How about we keep us a secret for awhile longer then?" she didn't like the idea of sleeping alone either.

"I love you," he wrapped his arms around her into a hug and kissed her; she smiled and kissed back whispering the same. They continued on up the stairs for thirteen stories until they reached the door for the roof. Golden light pierced through the crevices and flooded the floor when it creaked open.

Author's note: I thank you all for reading and reviewing! I know I made a few references to Senna in here. It doesn't mean I'll include her in this story; I really liked her in the movie. I believe that if she had stayed in Karakura that Senna and Ichigo would have made a cute couple or at least good friends. I think Ichigo still remembers Senna, but he cannot recall her name or the circumstances surrounding her appearance. He just knows that she existed and she was real.


	12. Chapter 12

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach

They stepped into the evening light enjoying the warmth radiating in the air. Saya walked to the roof's edge and took a seat. Ichigo did the same, looking at the view. One could see the entire town from up here. The mall was off to the left and so was the food court. Ichigo pointed to the restaurant they just ate at, and then to the beach which was still crowded.

"If you squint hard enough, I think you can see Urahara san's striped outfit," Ichigo used his hand to shield his face as he looked.

"I like his fashion sense. It's original. I'm guessing he was quite the rebel in his day," she joked.

Karakura High was in the distance, rising above a field of trees; along with the park almost next to it. Saya's eyes lingered on the park that bore so many memories for her. It was the place where she first met Ichigo and played with him ever since; it was there that they departed; and where they had their first kiss.

"Ichigo, what do you think would have happened to us if I hadn't disappeared?" Saya asked.

Ichigo looked at her for a moment, contemplating, "A number of things could have happened. I might not have met Rukia and become a shinigami. I think I would have been happier these past few years, possibly made my friends earlier. Who knows what relationship we would have had, both us as stubborn as we are. We'd probably just be friends until one of us blew,"" then he paused looking at the view, "but I'm glad everything happened the way it did, not about what happened to you though. I saved a lot of people, spirits, by becoming a soul reaper and am able to protect a whole lot more. I've made more friends too. I could never trade that for anything,"

"We might not be this close if we had that much time together. I mean early teen relationships never work out, and who knows what else would have gotten in our way," she added.

"I wouldn't say that. I'd like to think that our bond goes deeper than other relationships, because of the losses we share and the time we spent together growing up. I don't think high school drama could have split us up, nothing beyond that even," Ichigo stated.

Saya smiled at him. "So you think we're soul mates huh? You think that we were made for each other?"

She couldn't really tell in the golden light of the sun, but she could have sworn she saw Ichigo blush as he said, "Well, yeah,"

"My dad once told me that when the creator made humans they used to be really odd looking with four legs, four arms, and two heads. Because of their misshapen appearance the creator split them into two. He told me that the two spend their lives trying to find their other half and when they do they fit perfectly in each other's arms," Saya smiled at the memory, "Just like when I'm with you,"

Ichigo smiled back, "Mom used to tell me that story too, whenever I asked how she and dad met," Saya leaned into him putting her head on his shoulder and he put his arm around her.

There was a moment of contented silence as they watched the city. Then Saya broke the silence with a question, "What do you remember from the day I left? What did you do after?" She got a flashback then of that day, seeing little Ichi by the playground watching her go with sad eyes.

Ichigo was taken aback slightly that she would want to dredge up those memories, but eventually he complied. "I remember we played cops and robbers for most of the day, maybe hide and seek, and then you told me you were moving away the next day. You left me at the park alone. I felt like I had been dumped,"

"What about after that?" the sun was going further down making it darker, Saya suddenly shivered, but it wasn't from the cold. She had another flashback, her father's bloody body was on the ground and she caught a glimpse of orange hair from behind her. _Was Ichigo there that day?_

Ichigo tried to think back that far. _What did I do afterwards? Normally I just went home, had dinner, and went to bed. I can't remember; it's blank. _He was bewildered and it showed on his face when he scowled. Saya watched him intently praying for him to tell her he wasn't there. "I…can't remember. What is this about? Are you remembering something?"

"I hope not. If what I saw is real, then you were there, Ichigo. You saw it all happen," she looked at him fearfully.

Ichigo was incredulous, "I think I would remember that, Saya,"

"Not if your mind couldn't handle it," a familiar masculine voice that Ichigo only heard once before on Soukiyoku Hill, stated as he appeared on the opposite end of the roof. "The mind is the most mysterious territory. Tamper it with gentle circumstances and it will do fine, but jolt it with shock and anything can happen,"

"What is all this about? Why did you call for me to come down here?" Rukia demanded with a scowl. She was a bit flustered with them, mainly because she had a mountain of paperwork that needed to be finished; and she didn't see Ichigo anywhere. Renji showed the same level of annoyance as he was in the middle of training when Byakuya ordered him to accompany Rukia. Uryuu, Chad, and Orihime all fidgeted uncomfortably from their seats around Urahara's meeting table. "Where is Ichigo?"

Uryuu was the one to speak, "We called to ask you about the soul reaper, Saya Himura. Are you aware of her activities here?"

Rukia looked at him curiously, losing her anger quickly to bewilderment, "Who?"

Chad explained in his deep voice, "Ichigo told us that you might have sent a soul reaper in your place to take care of hollows while you were away,"

"Ichigo can deal with the hollows himself. Rukia doesn't need to send a replacement when she leaves. Who is this Saya?" Renji looked to each of them as they exchanged worried glances.

"Are you saying Saya Himura is not one of the 13 Court Guard Squads?" Uryuu questioned.

Rukia shook her head with a does-it-look-like-I-know-her expression. "No, she isn't. Where is Ichigo?"

Then Orihime, Chad, and Uryuu went into story mode to fill Rukia in on all that has happened, from their perspective, since Saya showed up.

So, who do you think showed up? I thought I'd leave this chapter a cliffy to irk some readers. No, that's not it. I want it all to unfold nicely in the next chapter or two without interruptions. I think I have a few more chapters left, not sure how many; just know that we are coming to the end, OH NO! I've got another story to post though soon; I just need to come up with a good title for it. Please review! I live off of reviews, they make my day. Thank you Zangetsu50 and bleach number 1 fan for reviewing all the time.


	13. Chapter 13

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo is the official owner of Bleach, I'm just writing a little story on it.

Please do the 3 R's – Read, Relax, and Review! Enjoy

Ichigo was in shock. _Aizen? What the hell is that bastard doing here? _Saya got up with a smile on her face and started walking toward him. Ichigo never moved so fast, ditching his body and getting in front of Saya with Zangetsu drawn, in a matter of seconds; his spiritual pressure flaring. "Why the hell are you here Aizen?"

"Ichigo, what- what are you doing? This is the one who saved me," Saya looked from Ichigo to Aizen with fright.

He didn't take his eyes off the traitor as he answered, "Remember when I told you about storming Soul Society to save Rukia? This is the one who betrayed everyone and ordered for Orihime to be captured. He ran Hueco Mundo with every espada and arrancar under his control. He was going to use this town to make a key to the Royal Courts. He ran away before Head Captain Yamamoto could deal with him in winter war,"

"You must be mistaken –" _clap…clap…clap_ Aizen interrupted her while applauding Ichigo.

"Very good, Kurosaki Ichigo, I believe you would make a very accomplished biographer," he chuckled. He was like a lion, slowly moving in on its prey, waiting for just the right moment. Ichigo had every intention of being ready for it.

"Shut up," Ichigo spat. "What the fuck are you doing here?" Saya backed away from Ichigo shaking her head in disbelief.

"In a moment. We were in the middle of a conversation about the night Saya died, which I would like to continue. I said that your mind couldn't handle seeing so much blood and created a barrier," he said calmly with a smile. "You remember Saya, right? Ichigo was there…"

She went through the events in her head, still doubting that her savior was the villain that Ichigo spoke of, but believing Ichigo at the same time. Memories of that night replayed in her head painfully. _She came out of the ally and was at the fence post when she saw the house was demolished. A man with wavy brown hair was holding a bloody zanpakutou over her father's body. There was a flash of orange hair behind her, but it made no further movements. _Saya nodded noticeably. _She looked at the murderer again as he made his way toward her. _

Saya screamed and fell to her knees, reliving the sensations, Ichigo called for her, "Saya! What the hell are you doing to her?" _There was a sharp pain in her stomach and she looked up into insanely gentle brown eyes. Holy shit it was him. He killed my father and made me a shinigami! _ Realization hit her and she pointed with hurt in her eyes at Aizen. "You killed him….you bastard… you killed him!"

"That's enough," he pulled out his zanpakutou aiming for her, with his godlike speed he nearly made it, when Ichigo got in the way. Aizen was quicker in the draw and pierced Ichigo's right side all the way through.

Ichigo stepped back with a grunt, holding the wound with his left hand while blood flowed between his fingers, "Leave her alone jack ass,"

"Who are you talking about?" Sousuke smiled.

Ichigo growled at him, "You know damn well who I'm talking about. Saya, are you alright?"

There was no response and he chanced a glance behind him while Aizen laughed. Saya had disappeared.

"Stupid boy, that girl never existed. Well…she did, but then I killed her all those years ago," the traitor stated nostalgically, remembering the incident well. "I created her from memories. You, Ichigo Kurosaki, have been screwing a phantom,"

Ichigo glared at him, not believing him. "It's one of your mind tricks. She's still there; you just want me to think differently. I won't believe a word that comes out of a scum bag like you,"

Just then Saya appeared a short distance away from them, her clothes slightly tattered and torn, she looked worried, scared and intent, "Ichigo I'm-" _I knew it!_ Ichigo sighed in relief.

Aizen advanced on her instantly saying, "Oh no, you aren't supposed to come back," as he brought down his katana. Ichigo flash stepped between them clashing Zangetsu with his opponent's, successfully interrupting the swing. Pain spread throughout his left shoulder as it was cut and his right side poured blood from the force of the impact. The brown haired man took that instant of weakness and used another zanpakutou, Saya's, to pin Ichigo mercilessly to the building behind him through his left side. Saya was nowhere to be seen.

Ichigo shouted in agony and coughed up blood. He looked up at Aizen with murderous intent, his eyes burning. "Where the hell is Saya?" He used both hands to try and yank the zanpakutou out of his stomach, but it wouldn't budge and he lost more blood as it splashed on the ground.

"You really have a hero-complex, Ichigo; at this rate you'll be dead before we finish our conversation," he drew closer to the boy, taunting him and then walked back a bit, "While I have you pinned, pay attention. I created Saya for you, from the small collection of memories she possessed at the time of her death and then I implanted others. You owe me some gratitude, boy, for the good time you've had so far. Oh yes, I've been watching every single minute you two spent together," His eyes glinted when he saw shock cross the substitute's features.

Ichigo spat blood at him, "You're sick," _I know Saya's here; she's just out of eye shot. He's trying to distract me. _

"I can see I'm not getting anywhere with you on the topic; we'll just have to agree to disagree. Anyway, back to our conversation before, about the night I killed Saya. I am interested in the barrier you created, Ichigo, the alternate personality," Aizen came close almost face to face with Ichigo, staring into his eyes. He smelled like Hueco Mundo, like death. Ichigo's vision blurred slightly. _Damnit it, I'm losing too much blood. What the hell's wrong with me? It's like I'm out of practice or something. I practically let him stab me twice and now I can barely lift an arm. I hope Saya's alright. _

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo scowled, and then a familiar cackle echoed in his head.

"Did you feel that?" Rukia's attention was ripped from their story telling as she felt Ichigo's raging spiritual pressure.

"That's Ichigo," Orihime stated with worry.

Rukia flipped her phone open to scan for hollows, which there were none. _Why is Ichigo-?_ Her eyes widened when she realized there was a second shinigami reitsu in the same area. She got up and the others followed suit, "Renji and I will investigate. You three, stay here,"

The two shinigami began their venture heading in the direction of Ichigo's overwhelming spiritual pressure. They were a fourth of the way there when they felt it start to slowly decrease. "The hell's going on?" Renji shouted as they picked up the pace. "Why is this other spiritual pressure so familiar?"

"_He's talking about me, King," _Ichigo was pulled from the outside into his inner world in an instant.

"What the hell, Shiro? I need to stay out there, Saya's in danger!" Ichigo pulled out his zanpakutou ready for a fight. Shiro, his bleached look alike raised his hands in surrender.

"Time slows down out there while you're in here, King," Shiro leaned on his wooden sword. Ichigo was able to beat Shiro into complete submission after the fight with Ulquiorra, but he was still around waiting for Ichigo to slip up. "He's been messing with you pretty good. I haven't been able to reach you at all, until now. You probably didn't even notice the hollows around town, did you?"

"There haven't been any hollows. I kept my badge on me the whole time, and it never alerted me," Ichigo stated pointing to his badge.

"Well there have been. You should talk to your friends if you don't believe me. Orihime tried to tell you the other day, but you let her have it instead," Shiro crossed his arms at his chest. "He's right you know. You were there that night and you saw everything. It's the night you created me,"

"What? No, you were created because I didn't change into a shinigami fast enough when Urahara cut my soul chain," Ichigo argued. "I'm a vizard,"

"That's what I wanted you to believe and what other's suspected. What really happened then was that you turned into a shinigami, but I became an arrancar," Shiro explained.

"You lost me," Ichigo had a completely confused look on his face.

"It's a wonder you're still King," he insulted. "I'll start from the beginning and speak really slow so your dumbass brain can follow,"

"Just start talking, Shiro," Ichigo glared. He was wasting time that his body didn't have.

Shiro's grin faded as he began the story, "The day Saya left, you followed her home, because she accidently left behind her stuffed animal or whatever. The next thing you know, you see some guy, Mr. Evil out there, skewering your girl's father and then watched him do the same to your girlfriend. Little Ichi's mind couldn't handle seeing all that blood again after mother died, and so you created me to deal with the situation," Shiro was laughing.

Ichigo was shocked, _Could I really have created Shiro? He could be lying…it wouldn't be the first time._ "I think I would remember that,"

Shiro continued, not sharing with Ichigo that he could read his thoughts, "That's the beauty of it, King. You didn't need to remember it, because I did. Anyway, I didn't need to pop up again until after you almost died by Byakuya's hand. When you were fighting to get your shinigami powers back in that small shaft, I became the hollow when you became a soul reaper. I didn't become an arrancar until after you saved that bitch from soul society and fought the bounts. As an alter it is my job to protect the host personality, that's why you created me, to protect you from the memory that would have shattered your little mind. I of course went the extra mile for you in battles cuz you were weak,"

"Why are you telling me this now, why not before?" Ichigo ignored his last statement. _What does it matter to Aizen if I did create a split personality? _

Shiro only laughed, "You're mind wasn't ready for the info, you weren't mature enough,"

"Why you-" Ichigo growled shaking his fist in the air.

"I imagine that Aizen's interest is solely for more power, the Hougyoku for example. What happened with us has never happened before; a shinigami and an arrancar in one body. It's almost like what he's after with the Hougyoku," Shiro suggested, forgetting that he was feigning ignorance to Ichigo's thoughts.

Author's Note: Hiya. I thought I'd stop it here, just because if I continued it would have been really long. What did ya think so far? I thought it would be neat if Ichigo created Shiro before the whole Bleach story line and both of them became opposites. Shinigami and Hollow in one body, recipe for disaster if you ask me, but he would be pretty powerful if they worked together. I think it kind of makes sense, considering the complicated relationship between hollow Ichigo and Ichigo in the main plot. I don't know if the other Vizards had conversations with their hollows as Ichigo did with his, though. Just rambling. Please read and review!


	14. Chapter 14

Disclaimer: Tite Kubo owns Bleach

Please relax, read, and review!

"So you're saying that he –, "Shiro interrupted him.

"Times up, King," Ichigo was pushed back to his battered body and gasped at the onset of pain coursing through his being. He couldn't feel his legs and he was shaking from the loss of blood. Then the story that Shiro described to him became more real as he started remembering, seeing the massacre as if he were there right then.

_I had Saya's plush cat in my hands, wanting to return it and to say goodbye, as I followed her. Saya was walking along the alley, sniffling back tears, toward home to pack. She inhaled deeply when she came into view of her house and became stock still. I stopped right behind her, unsure of what to do. Her house was in shambles, literally flattened with bits of foundation and roof sticking up everywhere, along with the broken furniture. What really caught my eye, when I heard Saya scream, was the sword wielding man as he plunged his weapon into her father. I never heard a scream like that come from a man as he was stabbed over and over again with blood spraying every which way. I felt sick just watching._

_The murderer stopped hacking after Saya ran out of breath and started walking toward her. I would have traded my life for hers if it meant that I could save her, but my body wouldn't or couldn't move. I was useless and I didn't even try to call for help. My world shattered when I saw the zanpakutou run through Saya's body, blood flowing swiftly from her wound to pool around her. I was so close I could hear the surprised squeal and see the pained shock take over her eyes, until all life left them. My heart broke when her body fell to the floor with a lifeless thud. I blacked out afterward, waking in the safety of my bed without a recollection of what happened. Shiro must have taken over after I passed out and got my body home. _

Aizen's face was still close to his, eyes boring into him, as the corners of his lips curved upward. "I see you know what I'm talking about, finally. I want to speak with your alter," Ichigo could feel the influential power of his zanpakutou trying to bend him to his will.

He smiled just as sweetly back answering, "He's not available right now; can I take a message?" WHACK, Ichigo's vision spun as his injured shoulder was hit, but it seemed to him as if Aizen never moved.

"Fine, Ichigo Kurosaki. While I wait for him, I'll just play with your mind a bit more," he proposed.

"Shut up," he coughed, his voice getting rough.

"I was hoping to spare you the details of how I sought you out, among dozens of others, but I think you'll be intrigued. I was searching for a human with strong spiritual pressure for a little research project; I wanted to see what would happen to someone with multiple personalities if they were to become a soul reaper in an unconventional way. That's when I ran into the Grand Fisher," he paused to watched Ichigo's reaction whose fist tightened, "I knew he only went after strong living souls, so he would know where I could find one. He was reluctant at first to share with me any information about his hunts, but I loosened his tongue. The Grand Fisher told me a young boy with fiery orange hair was drawn to his lure, but he escaped while Fisher was devouring the boy's mother," He laughed when Ichigo's face became whiter. "At any rate, I knew that you were the perfect test subject,"

Ichigo was finding it difficult to breathe and listen to the traitor at the same time. _Don't give out on me yet, body. I need to get out of this._"I know what you're doing. You're waiting for me to bleed out aren't you, cuz that will bring him out," he dry laughed, coughing at the action, "Well I've got news for you, he's not going to come,"

Aizen just continued on with his drabble as if Ichigo hadn't said anything at all, "I followed you around for awhile once I found you, to see what kind of person you are. You are just another Hercules in the modern era, willing to risk it all to protect others. I took note of those you shared company with and chose which one would create enough, but not too much, mental damage to you, should you see their murder. Saya Himura was the perfect candidate for you to create a split personality over. Then I made sure that a soul reaper was sent to this town, one that wasn't familiar with the world of the living, and the one that had the Hougyoku buried inside their soul. I knew if I backed Rukia Kuchiki in a corner and you were there, that she would feel compelled to expend her powers to you, so you could do what she could not. After that I simply requested the Grand Fisher to send hollow after hollow on you,"

"You must really…like to hear yourself…talk. Do you ever shut up?" The energy Ichigo once had was dwindling away too quickly along with his blood that formed a puddle at his feet. _Damnit!_ He couldn't hold his head up and was beginning to feel extremely tired and sick.

Aizen punched his shoulder again causing Ichigo to grunt in pain and bring his head up, "You played right into my hands, when Soul Society imprisoned Miss Kuchiki; as did Captain Kuchiki when he drained you of your stolen powers. I had already known about Urahara's method of regaining shinigami powers and I just knew you wouldn't pass up the opportunity to save her. You know the rest. You became a shinigami, while your alter became a hollow. It is the only explanation for your impossible powers in defeating Ulquiorra," He approached Ichigo again coming face to face. "My experiment is complete and was a success."

"I'm not going to your side, Aizen, and neither is Shiro. So you can forget it," Ichigo spat in a strained voice. He could feel spiritual signatures coming towards them, Rukia and Renji. _Shit, don't come here. Turn around and leave!_

The traitorous villain just laughed, "I have no intention of recruiting you; I would have just taken you to my hideout after brainwashing you, instead of pandering here in public. I'm going to let you die. All of this was an experiment to see how the mind works and see your alter. I wanted to see if you would split again when I revealed that Saya never was alive, which unfortunately didn't happen. But as we will have company soon and you aren't budging, we are out of time and I must go. Your friends won't find you before you bleed out; you're dead already," he went silent suddenly and Ichigo knew what was coming. The zanpakutou was viciously torn out of his stomach, the intense friction giving Ichigo a new understanding of pain as he cried out. His legs gave way under him and he fell to his knees leaning back against the building. The last thing he saw was Aizen's sinister eyes watching him as he left through a garganta and the sun disappeared beyond the horizon.

Thank you for reading, please review? I hadn't actually intended the story to go in this route, but I didn't want to make Saya evil as I originally planned. I guess I liked her too much ^_^ and also it would have been dumb. In the other version I had envisioned there would have been a bit more of a fight going on, but I'm not very good with combat scenes; it's a work in progress. A few more chapters left!


	15. Chapter 15

Hiya! Thank you Bleach number 1 fan for your review! Please read and REVIEW, anyone who reads this.

Tite Kubo and a bunch of other people own the series, but the plot is mine. MWAHAHAHAHA

Rukia was very worried about Ichigo by the time they neared the area and the sun had gone down. The city was the only source of light. She could barely feel his spiritual pressure. _Where is he?_ She and Renji had split up when they couldn't find Ichigo's trail, deliberating between four possible locations. When she neared an old apartment complex her stomach clenched in apprehension as she felt his presence.

"Ichigo?" she called. Many pipes and large structures made it impossible to see directly across the roof, and there were so many possible places for Ichigo to be. She had a gnawing feeling in her gut that she needed to find him fast, "Ichi-," Rukia was cut off as she stepped in a puddle. "What the- it hasn't rained here in days," she noticed it had splashed onto her ankle, but it wasn't clear; it was dark and very cold. She wiped it with a finger bringing it to light. _Why am I bothering with this? It's just…blood!_

It was then that she noticed the bright orange hair next to her. He was slumped against the wall unconscious with his feet under him. Blood was everywhere and if she didn't know better she'd say he was dead. She knelt in front of him, fearing the worst. "Ichigo!" she lifted his face so she could see him better. His skin was cold and pale as snow; his eyes were closed and he was barely breathing. _No. _"You can't die on me Ichigo, wake up. Open your eyes damnit!" She shook his shoulders to jolt him awake. A moment slowly went by, her heart hammering in her rib cage and tears close to falling. She almost looked away from his face giving up hope, when his eyebrows furrowed and he slowly opened his eyes. The fiery determined browns were glazed over and unfocused.

Ichigo took a deep breath and immediately regretted it when he started coughing up blood. He grunted against the pain. Violet eyes were looking intensely at him as he looked to see who woke him up. "Ru…ki…a?" _Why do I feel so tired?_

"Who did this to you, Ichigo?" Rukia was beyond alarmed. He was looking around the area for something, acting like he couldn't hear her. "Ichigo, please look at me,"

Saya's face flitted across his mind and he remembered why he was lying in his own blood. "Saya!" he cried out in agony when he tried to get up, feeling the deep wounds gush more blood. He was out of breath and was panting heavily. There was a hand on his chest holding him down and he realized Rukia was there. "Where's Saya?" he asked her before he coughed up more blood holding his sides with both his arms as he heaved.

"She's not here," Rukia said gently trying to calm him down. _He needs Orihime, he needs her right now. _

"That bastard, I'll kill him," Ichigo suddenly stood up with fire in his eyes, pushing Rukia back in surprise, and collapsed mid-step.

"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed. Luckily Renji showed up in time to catch the substitute before he fell to the ground.

She stepped closer as Renji put Ichigo's arm around his shoulder, "What the hell happened? Did you see the other shinigami?"

"Not now. We need to get him to Orihime and fast," Rukia ordered flash stepping ahead with Renji and Ichigo right behind her.

Urahara was waiting at the door when they returned, unable to hide the shock that passed through his eyes at the sight of Ichigo. _Can we say at death's door?_ He and Yoruichi had come back to the shop after Rukia and Renji left, having felt Ichigo's spiritual pressure, to find Chad, Uryuu, and Orihime all sitting at his table. He was filled in a moment later about their assumptions of the situation. Kisuke led them to a back room and got Orihime before Renji could put the boy down.

"Kurosaki-kun!" the pale healer got right to work pulling out her powers. She hated seeing Ichigo in such a state. Tessai came into the room baring towels and bandages. Chad and Uryuu rushed in soon after and everyone started shouting questions at once. Urahara and Yoruichi led the large group out of the room so the healer could do her work uninterrupted; bringing them to the meeting room.

"What happened to Ichigo?" Chad asked Rukia, worry evident on his features. He and Ichigo had a pact that they would look after each other, and he felt like he had broken it.

"He has two deep gashes in his stomach and one cut artery in his shoulder, from the amount of blood. The second reitsu we felt was long gone by the time Renji and I got there and Ichigo was alone. He came to for a minute demanding to know where Saya was," Rukia reported putting on her Kuchiki face to hide the jealousy. _He didn't even care that I was there. Not that I need his attention…right?_

"He wanted to kill someone real bad," Renji added. "But the idiot got up too fast and passed out,"

Uryuu pushed his glasses up his nose, "I bet it was Saya. She was working for Aizen from the beginning. This will teach Kurosaki to turn his back on us,"

Yoruichi spoke up at that, "Urahara and I met her earlier today at the beach and we didn't see anything wrong. One of my duties is to be able to read people and she was like an open book. I sensed there was something odd about her spiritual pressure, but I didn't know she was a shinigami at the time. But I know she wasn't working for Aizen and so does Ichigo. She is innocent and I will not hear any more snide comments from you Quincy,"

Said teenage shrunk in size and shook in fear as she glared at him. "Were you able to identify the second shinigami?" Urahara asked Rukia and Renji, hoping to stop Yoruichi before she killed the boy.

Renji who had fallen into contemplative silence for the past argument slowly nodded. "It was Aizen, I'm sure of it,"

"Aizen? Why the hell would he risk exposing himself to Ichigo nonetheless?" Rukia asked. "You're right though, it was definitely him,"

Orihime watched with tear filled eyes as the tremendous wounds slowly start to mend. Tessai sat beside her silently. "These gashes go all the way through. Whoever did this is a monster and very strong; it's taking everything out of me to heal him. The spiritual pressure surrounding Kurosaki-kun's wounds is working against me,"

"Keep at it, young one. No one else can heal him better than you," Tessai reassured before getting up to leave, "Tell me when you're finished so I can get him out of those bloody clothes." Orihime only nodded, noticing the red stains on the beige floor and felt her stomach flip. _Please make it through this Kurosaki-kun. _

Author's note: hahaha a cliffhanger! Gotta love those. Anyway, I'm not quite liking how this story is turning out, but don't worry I will finish it. I might rewrite it with a better plot line and better love scenes under a T rating, though. It was kind of stupid for Aizen to want to have an experiment, believe me when I say that I don't know what I was thinking. So if I do get around to rewriting it, it will 100x better. On the plus note, there is about one or two chapters left. Review please. I haven't had very many reviews, and it's kind of hurting my creativity ^_^.


	16. Chapter 16 The Finale

So this is it. The final chapter. I hope that all who have been reading this has enjoyed it as much as I have. It has taken me a while to write this chapter, mainly because of writer's block and stress; but I think it's also because this is the end. I've never written a long story before, and those that I have started never get finished beyond the second chapter. So please relax, read, and review. As this is the final chapter of this book, I would really like to know what others thought about my whole story. Please review! I'm dying for criticism.  
Bleach isn't mine, but Saya is totally owned by me ^_^. It's always been a favorite name of mine.

Saya sighed heavily as she looked out over the city; there was a sad look in her eyes. Ichigo sat down next to her and hugged her to him. "What's going on in that little head of yours?"

Her eyes were watery when she looked at him, "You got really hurt because of me; you almost died trying to protect me,"

Ichigo looked at his bandaged body, not feeling anything, "I'm still alive and I have suffered worse. Anyway it was worth it as long as you aren't hurt,"

"I wouldn't have been injured at all. I'm not really here, Ichigo. I never was. I wish that Aizen had really saved me, but he didn't; I am still dead. I want nothing more than to be by your side forever, but that can never be," a tear fell down her cheek. "I don't want to leave you, I can't,"

Ichigo gently wiped the tear with his thumb as his hand supported her head; sadness in his eyes as he looked into hers, "I know," she held his hand to her face as more tears shed. "It isn't fair, not to me or you. I would do anything to bring you back, anything to go back to that day and save you. Back then I thought that we would be together forever, come what may," his throat tightened and he was finding it hard to breathe.

Saya wrapped her arms around his waist, gently squeezing, then she got up with a smile on her face and tears in her eyes, "Look at us, crying over spilled milk. What would the world think?"

He stood up after her, not able to toss one of his smiles, "I don't care. I don't care what the world thinks, never have and never will. It can burn to hell for all I care."

"Don't be like that, Ichigo. It's not the world's fault that your mother and I are dead. That is on the Grand Fisher and Aizen; you just have to make sure they get what's coming to them," Saya rose her fist into the air with a triumphant glare. "And you will Ichigo, I know you will." She suddenly reminded him of Orihime and how she would put on the same act.

He smirked at her, "Yeah right. That confrontation with Aizen was no better than the last time and whole lot more demeaning,"

"You were protecting me and there's nothing you would have done differently given an option. Stop second guessing yourself," she smiled at him. "Would you stop with the dramatics? It's not healthy being depressed all the time!" he noticed the tears hadn't stopped falling from her eyes.

"You're the one who's crying," Ichigo pointed.

"Because you are depressing!" Saya hit his chest with a smile all tears gone and replaced with laughter in her eyes. She turned to look over the city again with gold light flooding her face. When she spoke again her voice was serious and soft, "Promise me something-"

"Saya," Ichigo opened his eyes and found he was in one of Urahara's spare rooms, the familiar ceiling looking at him. His body felt heavy, probably from the countless blankets adorning it, and it was a struggle to pull an arm out to move a few off.

There was movement in the corner and the sound of small feet crossing the room. Tired grey eyes met brown. "Kurosaki-kun! You're awake!" he looked behind her to find a blanket on the ground, where she had obviously been watching over him.

"Last time I checked," He sat up, his body feeling better than it had in weeks. Orihime looked anxious however and evidence that she had been crying was all over her face, "What's wrong?"

She seemed to have caught herself staring and instantly withdrew her gaze. "Oh, umm, uh…it's just…umm,"

"Orihime," Ichigo looked at her, seeing her rattled before, but not this much. Tears were in her eyes and her hands went to hide her face. He sat up and took her hands down. Her fingers wrapped around his.

"I was so afraid for you; you were so badly injured. I'm just so happy your awake, Kurosaki-kun," Orihime smiled at him, relief flooded her being. Ichigo saw the bags under her eyes and though she closed them when she smiled he could tell she was exhausted.

"You look dead tired, don't tell me you haven't slept because of me," She only looked at him and was about to respond when Rukia stepped into the room. She smiled at the scene, because Ichigo hadn't let go of Orihime's hands and he didn't seem to be in a rush to change it. She knew there was a connection between them, even if Ichigo didn't know it yet.

"We've all been on edge, Ichigo. Go get some rest Orihime," she grinned at the healer as Orihime broke the contact to leave and Ichigo almost reached out to her. Almost.

She looked back, "I'm glad you're awake, Kurosaki Kun," and she shut the door behind her with a deep blush adorning her cheeks.

Rukia took to sitting next to the now uninjured boy. "How are you feeling?"

"Great," He answered and tensed knowing what was coming next.

Rukia punched him in the face, sending him to the floor. "Baka! What the hell were you thinking fighting Aizen? You could have been killed," Ichigo sat up rubbing his sore cheek. He looked at her, his face expressionless. "It took Orihime three days to close those wounds and another two for your lazy ass to wake up. She hasn't slept since we brought you here,"

"Five days?" He was baffled. Sure he had been injured and nearly bled to death, but so many days, it was odd.

"Aizen's reitsu was so thick around your injuries that her healing powers almost couldn't break through it. Tessai had to use kido as well. What happened, Ichigo? Why was Aizen there? Where and who is Saya?" Rukia questioned him. He noticed a slight change in her voice when she mentioned Saya.

Ichigo didn't know if he wanted to tell her anything, considering it was about his hollow. No one really understood how difficult their relationship was, not even the vizards and especially not Rukia. She wanted him to be normal, well as normal as possible with him being a live shinigami. He decided to start with Saya as that was where it all began. "You won't find her; she's gone. Saya's an old friend who died a long time ago. Aizen recreated her in this world using her memories from before she died,"

"Just a friend, you're sure about that? Ishida and the others say differently," Rukia pried, a little bit of jealousy creeping into her voice. Ichigo was shocked to hear it as she was a Kuchiki and well trained in perfect composure. She was pretty upset about him being with someone else, even though they could never be, it still hurt. "Last time I checked, friends don't sleep together,"

"How did you-?" he looked at her in shock. The hurt in her eyes made him look away and he explained after a pause. "We were together before, kind of, growing up. We understood each other, more than anyone else could. That was our bond and that was how we became so close." He didn't know why he was sharing this information. It was none of her business. But here he was spouting about his relationship.

"I'm not following, what bond?" she wanted him to look at her but kept stock still.

Ichigo's brown eyes locked with hers, "Loss. She lost her mother at birth and then had to witness Aizen killing her father and her," Pain flashed through his eyes, making Rukia curious. She understood death and had konsoled several souls and so did Ichigo. She was about to ask why it was bothering him so much, but his voice silenced her as it was barely above a whisper. "I was there. I saw it all happen,"

"You never said anything about it," she pointed out, feeling more hurt that he hadn't told her. _How many murders has this kid seen?_

He smirked at that, "I didn't remember until my confrontation with Aizen. Anyway, I don't have to tell you every friggin' detail of my life, Rukia. I wouldn't have told you anything before with my mother, if you weren't so damn persistent, annoying, and short."

Her temper flared at that, "Damnit baka! Quit calling me short!"

"Stop interrupting then, midget," Ichigo scowled. The rest of the story took about two hours to explain because Rukia had so many questions. He got reprimanded for ignoring his hollow detector and leaving the responsibility to his friends, even though he explained the situation with perfect clarity. Ichigo was getting really annoyed about having to talk so much that he ended up shifting the conversation away from his split personality just to annoy her and avoid the whole sticky situation that would follow if it got out.

A week passed and everything went back to normal, all of the mishaps on Ichigo's part during the time Saya was there were completely forgotten. Orihime seemed to be less shy around Ichigo as well; it may be that she saw what Rukia saw the night he woke up, or the argument she had with Ichigo when he was with Saya gave her strength somehow. Rukia thought the former was closer to the truth; Orihime wasn't stupid.

One evening, Rukia and Ichigo were heading to the market to pick up some fresh lobster for Yuzu. Rukia was talking about the upcoming festival at school while Ichigo only paid her half of his attention. He was watching the passersby with mild interest, longing to get back home to work on the large pile of homework that was due the next day.

Ichigo's attention was caught by a woman standing on a street corner ahead of them. She wore a beautiful white kimono decorated with cherry blossoms and she had an elegance only matched by a goddess. But, Ichigo was drawn to her familiar deep blue eyes and short hair only. He felt like his heart would burst when he recognized who she was. He wanted to say something to her as their eyes met, but his throat constricted painfully. He began to remember the rest of the dream he had.

_He was on the apartment building rooftop looking at the city with Saya standing next to him. Tears fell down her cheeks in the setting sun as she turned her full attention to Ichigo. Her eyes revealed how hard this was for her as well as him. _

"_Promise me something. Promise me that you will forget me and move on. Promise me that when that special someone comes along you won't let them slip away. Promise me you won't be alone for the rest of your life," she asked looking into his eyes with such force he could have sworn she was making a binding contract in his mind that he had to sign._

_The sun set below the horizon and in its place, a starry night sky. _

Saya smiled at him knowingly and gently waved_. Goodbye, Ichigo. _

Rukia drew his attention as she asked from ahead, "Ichigo, what's wrong?"

He saw the concern in her eyes. Apparently he had stopped walking in the middle of the street and hadn't realized it. He must have looked lost to her. He shook his head, "Nothing, let's go." He looked to the corner again, but Saya was gone. A tingle formed on the bridge of his nose in that moment, but he pushed it away. _I won't promise that I'll move on tomorrow or anytime soon and I can't just forget you. But when the right person comes around, someone who can make me as happy as you did, I won't turn them away. But until then, you will always be in my heart, where you have always been. _

The End

Please let me know what you think! I would really appreciate reviews. I honestly cannot express how happy they make me (good or bad). Read and Review! For all the other writers on : You guys rock!


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